Opting out of your workplace pension

If you're enrolled in a workplace pension, you can opt out. Find out how to opt out, what happens to your pension contributions and how to opt back in.

Opting out

When your employer enrols you in a workplace pension, you can opt out if you want to. To opt out, you have to contact the pension scheme provider. They will tell you how to opt out. Your employer will provide you with their contact details.

If you opt out within a month of your employer enrolling you, you'll get back any money you've already paid in.

If you opt out later, you may not be able to get your payments refunded. These will usually stay in your pension until you retire.

Opting back in

If you want to start paying into your employer’s workplace pension again, you can do so. You need to write to your employer to request to be enrolled. Your employer has to accept you back into their workplace pension once in every twelve month period. This means if you leave, join, then leave again within twelve months your employer does not have to accept you a second time. But they can choose to do so.

Leaving your workplace pension if you weren't automatically enrolled

If you joined your workplace pension scheme before automatic enrolment and want to leave the scheme, you need to ask you employer how to do this.

Being automatically enrolled back into a workplace pension

If you opt out of a workplace pension or you stop making payments, your employer will automatically enrol you back into their pension after three years. Your employer will contact you and you can choose to stay in the workplace pension or opt out.

Reducing your payments

You might be able to reduce how much you contribute to your workplace pension. This is only possible if your pension scheme rules allow it and your employer agrees. If you want to do this, you should ask the pension scheme administrator who runs your pension scheme.

Information about minimum contributions is on the 'Employers' workplace pension obligations' page.